Smiley's People (1982)

Bernard Hepton: Toby Esterhase

Quotes 

• Toby Esterhase : George, do me a favor, okay? You want a Hungarian babysitter someday, call me. You go messing around with creeps like Kirov and Leipzig, you better have a creep like Toby look after you. You're an old spy in a hurry, George. You used to say they were the worst.

  George Smiley : Oh they are, Toby, they are.

• Toby Esterhase : Grigoriev has a salad. She has steak and chips, glass of beer, and a slice of cake. George, the guy will fold, believe me! You never had a wife like that.

  George Smiley : No, I don't think I ever did.

  Toby Esterhase : You think he wants to be locked up in a two-room flat in Moscow with that bitch for the rest of his life? Ha hah, don't worry.

• Toby Esterhase : First we'd take the document to Max. That's you, George. Max would know its meaning, Max would reward us. Gifts, promotion, medals, maybe we'd get lunch with the Queen. Only problem was, Vladimir didn't know you were on the shelf and the Circus had joined the Boy Scouts.

• Toby Esterhase : Don't do that again, you hear me?

  Anton Grigoriev : I don't speak to scum like you! What are you, a Polish? Magyar? I don't speak to anti-Party elements! I am Russian!

  Toby Esterhase : Don't do it again.

• Toby Esterhase : He's so conspicuous he's embarassing.

• Toby Esterhase : George, all your life! Fantastic!

• [on Grigoriev] 

  George Smiley : So which way will he jump when we hit him?

  Toby Esterhase : Burning, George, that's always a hazard, know what I mean? Some guys get heroic and want to die for their countries suddenly. Other guys roll over and lie still the moment you put the arm on them. Burning, that touches the stubbornness in certain people.

• George Smiley : [about Otto Leipzig]  And he had a partner, yes that comes back to me too. An immigrant. An East German.

  Toby Esterhase : Hm! Worse than East German. Saxon. Name of Kretzschmar. First name Claus, with a "C". Don't ask me why. I mean these guys have no logic at all. Claus Kretzschmar was also a creep. Blond creep, lot of muscles.

  George Smiley : But that was long ago, Toby.

  Toby Esterhase : Who cares? It was a perfect marriage.

  George Smiley : [to himself]  Then I expect it didn't last.

• Toby Esterhase : This an interrogation, George?

  George Smiley : You know me, Toby.

  Toby Esterhase : Sure I know you. You want matches so you can burn my feet?

• Toby Esterhase : You remember the first rule of retirement, George? No moonlighting, no fooling with loose ends, no private enterprise, ever. You remember who preaches this rule, at Sarratt, in the corridors? George Smiley did. Quote, "When it's over, it's over. Pull down the shutters, go home," unquote. We're over, George. We've got no license. They don't want us anymore.

• Peter Guillam : Do they get a special price, too?

  Toby Esterhase : For George, they do it for nothing.

• Toby Esterhase : Grigorieva got herself a driving license two months ago. And she's terrible! Terrible, like lousy. You know what Pauli Skordeno says to me? He says, "Toby, I need danger money just to follow that woman."

• Toby Esterhase : The Grigorievs left their house five minutes ago. She's driving. Most likely they die before they get here.

  George Smiley : Did she drive last week?

  Toby Esterhase : Also the week before. She insists. George, that woman is a monster.

• [Esterhase and his men have sidled up to Gregoriev in a public park] 

  Toby Esterhase : The old city of Thun is not sufficiently appreciated, I believe, by members of our distinguished diplomatic community here. In my view it is to be recommended both for its antiquity, and its banking facilities. Do you not agree?

• Toby Esterhase : You do not buy photographs from Otto Leipzig, you don't buy Degas from Signor Benati, you follow me?

• Toby Esterhase : You want a picture of Karla, George? I get you one more up to date than that, authentic provenance, no question.

  George Smiley : Thank you, Toby. I'm only interested in the original.

• Toby Esterhase : George, listen to me. So, Ann gave you a bad time with Bill Haydon? So there's Karla, who was Bill's big daddy in Moscow. I mean, this gets very crude, George, you know what I mean? It puts a strain on friendship.

• Toby Esterhase : I have an alibi for every day of the year hiding from my bank manager.